Bodoni pressSIGN Pro v9 Additional Clients

pressSIGN Pro is a G7® Certified System that measures, controls, monitors and evaluates the color printing process for litho, digital, flexo and gravure.

pressSIGN Pro features a complete set of analysis tools to improve press and operator performance identifying issues of both quality and wastage.

Each pressSIGN Pro installation includes the pressSIGN Pro server, pressSIGN-Pro client, a pressSIGN-Trends client, and pressSIGN-Mobile client. Additional clients can be purchased.

Use pressSIGN's soft proofing facility to visually check jobs in the production or pre-press office live from the press. Improve communication with the chat messaging service.

pressSIGN contains the Pantone™ libraries and the ability to create custom color libraries. Control not only solid spot colors but tints as well. Set spot tint targets based on previous prints or use pressSIGN's Visual Linear Targeting (VLT) to achieve the smoothest possible blends.

pressSign Global vs Pro vs Standard:

• Supported Spectrophotometers
• Data Import
• Data Export
• Reports
• Information Screen Views
• Spot Colors
• Additional Clients Available
• Color Adjustment Information

pressSign Pro Features

• pressSIGN - Five easy steps to accurate color
• Each Measurement is Scored
• pressSIGN Print Targets
• Dynamic Density Adjustment
• Auto Substrate Adjustment
• Reports
• Set and Update Tonal Curves
• Spot Color
• pressSIGN Clients

 

New in Version 9

• All proofSIGN features are now included
• Monitor ISO 12647-7 conformance
• ICC expanded gamut profiles
• Scoring based on G7 criteria
• Auto syncing and re-syncing
• Import data from Epson SpectroProofer
• Distribute press targets automatically
• Full control of scoring
• More spectrophotometers supported

• Create new jobs remotely
• ISO 20654 option - for spot tonal curves
• Import color bars from .cbl files
• Full control of scoring
• Select M1, M0, etc. importing CxF files
• New Export feature
• Accept data from Man Roland presses
• Variable range of TVI scoring points
• Set image for Web reports
• Compatible with macOS 10.12 (Sierra)

Supported Spectrophotometers

Data Import

Data Export

Reports

Information Screen Views

Spot Colors

Additional Clients Available

Color Adjustment Information

• add the pressSIGN control strip to one of your jobs
• read the control strip with your Eye-One or other measurement device and adjust the densities as recommended for each ink key by pressSIGN
• read the control strip when dry and update the dry back calculations
• adjust the plate curve as recommended by pressSIGN
• run the next job with the pressSIGN settings and you'll have consistently accurate color

Every measurement is given a score and color coded to make it easy to decide how well the sheet was printed. The sheet is given an overall score which is further broken down into different measurement criteria. Finally the production report gives a score for all the measurements in the job.

The job criteria measured and scored are:

• Primary Colors
• Spot Colors
• TVI Grey Balance
• Overprints - Lab and Trapping
• Sheet Consistency
• Consistency against an OK or accepted sheet
• Paper Color

pressSIGN uses ISO 12647-2 tolerances by default, but all tolerances and scoring criteria can be fully customized by the user. The print target can be allocated globally across the enterprise or assigned to specific sites depending on the needs of the enterprise.

Users have many options when setting up print targets. All the following international standards are supported:

• 12647-2 (2007 and 2013)
• 12647-3
• 12647-4
• 12647-6
• 12647-7
• GRACol
• ISO 15339
• Japan Color

Create customized print standards based on CMYK ICC profiles. Any CMYK ICC profile can be a print target. pressSIGN also allows you to select a profile for the print condition and a separate profile for the grey balance. For example, the customer might require a job to be printed on uncoated paper but have supplied the file with a coated profile like ISOCoatedv2.icc. The ability to set a different target for the grey balance to the print condition allows you to generate correction curves that produce the best possible visual match.

Utilizing an ICC profile as the print target allows pressSIGN to adjust the print target according to the color of the substrate. Printing to the amended target will produce a better visual match to the proof. Export the amended ICC profile to pre-press for proofing or soft proofing.

Create a print standard based on a single or set of previously measured printed sheets. It is useful to capture the existing print set up so that it can be replicated for re-runs.

In addition, a previously measured printed job can become a future target in pressSIGN. This makes it easy to match previously printed work.

pressSIGN's Dynamic Density Adjustment ensures that the operator is always achieving the closest color match to the press target whatever the ink, paper, or press environment. On each new job pressSIGN recalculates the correct density adjustment based on the current conditions. In fact, pressSIGN only needs to read one patch to know how to adjust the density.

The measurement client shows the operator how to adjust each ink key across the press. The operator is targeting 0% adjustment, which means that if the ink level is either increased or decreased then the Delta E will rise. Instead of trying to hit an arbitrary density target the operator is achieving the best possible color match to the press target. The print measurements taken by the operator can be seen by anyone with appropriate permission anywhere in the organization.

Optionally ink zones can be turned off as part of the measurement and scoring functions when, for example, there is no significant coverage. DDA works with both process and spot colors.

Printers who are asked to print to international printing standards like ISO 12647-2 or
GRACol will often be asked to produce work on paper stocks that deviate from the standard. pressSIGN gives print buyers and printers the option of allowing pressSIGN to automatically amend the print target based on the substrate's white point.

Changing the white point target in response to paper color gives a better visual representation of the original than sticking to a target whatever the paper color is being used.

pressSIGN offers three methods of creating tonal curve adjustments, Tonal Value Increase (TVI), 4CX, or Neutral Print Density. By measuring the color bar containing a minimum of three tonal patches per color (e.g. 25%, 50%, and 75%) pressSIGN creates tonal adjustment curves and exports these curves to a whole variety of RIP formats for platesetters and digital devices.

Alternatively output the tonal curves to AutoCurves and apply the adjustments to a PDF workflow. AutoCurves is an additional application that is useful in a digital environment or where a platesetter RIP is unable to update an existing curve.

TVI, usually deferred to as dot gain, is the traditional way that printers have matched international standards such as ISO 12647-2. It is a simple method of achieving color matching to the ISO 12647 standard.

4CX (4 Color Exchange) technology targets grey balance for the tonal adjustments. 4CX takes into account black and white points of the target and print to produce the best visual match. For more details on 4CX technology visit the dedicated web page.

An alternative way of exporting tonal curves for accurate grey balance is by using Neutral Print Density Curves (NPDC) when the file contains a three color grey based on 50, 40, 40. NPDC reports maximum and average Delta L and F for CMY and maximum and average Delta L for black.

When all conditions including ink and paper are ideal on a sheet fed offset press then TVI, 4CX, and NPDC will produce the same results. However, we recommend 4CX or NPDC on non-offset devices and where ink and paper do not precisely match the ISO standards.

To ensure brand consistency spot color printing is essential. pressSIGN Pro can measure and control from 1 to 16 colors. The spot colors can be selected from either the Pantone™ libraries or customer created libraries. Custom color libraries can be exported to other users. They can be downloaded from a central server to assign to sites based on the job or campaign.

The Pantone™ spot color libraries are included within pressSIGN. Select any Pantone™ color and pressSIGN will show the operator how to adjust the density to achieve the best possible match on the substrate.

Where spot colors exist in a job then pressSIGN provides a separate spot color score for each measurement and the job.

Create custom spot color libraries by measuring the colors, importing color data files like CxF, or type in Lab values.

Compare any measurement with the nearest color from the spot color libraries.

Why rely on a visual judgements from a faded book when all can benefit from centrally controlled spectral data.

Spot Color Tints

Set the right tonal target for spot colours based on colour not density. pressSIGN's Visual Linear Target (VLT) sets the target from your choice of Spot Colour whether it is from the Pantone™ or a custom library. VLT calculates the correct tint target to give the smoothest blend.

Creating a tint target is easy in pressSIGN. There are two options. Measure an exisitng set of tints and use these to set the target. pressSIGN will then score the measurement, show the operator how close he is to the target and tonal adjustments can be exported to the RIP or PDF workflow.

A more effective solution that produces much smoother spot colour blends is pressSIGN's Visual Linear Target (VLT). VLT requires no previous printing. Select the spot colour from the Pantone™ or custom library and measure the tints. VLT will provide tonal adjustments curves based on pressSIGN's mathematical calculation of the ideal tones.

Select Any Color Bar

Create any color bar in pressSIGN's color bar generator and pressSIGN will score the reading against the target you have set.

Import CGATs or CxF data files and make these the print target files. pressSIGN gives the user huge flexibility to determine what will be measured. For example, make the target bar a single color with multiple tint patches to see how the printing device is producing a tonal curve for that color. Check on the across the sheet consistency of a digital printer.

Create or import multi-line color bars such as the GRACol P2P target or FOGRA/UGRA Media wedge or simply copy an existing color bar including slurs marks.

pressSIGN is an SQL Server based product that allows multiple clients to input and monitor the data from the printing devices connected to it. As part of the basic configuration pressSIGN GPM is shipped with three clients; additional clients can be added as required.

• the Pro client that is used by the operator to measure and control the print device
• the Trends client for use in the production/brand manager's office- to assign jobs to the operator or site, to update tonal curves, to analyze performance, and communicate to customers and colleagues
• the Mobile client for the production manager to monitor performance, and communicate with the operator from anywhere connected to the Internet

While the Pro client sits by the printing device in order to read and monitor individual printed sheets and show the operator how to make the necessary adjustments to the press the, Trends and Mobile clients allow production and brand managers to monitor the press performance without the need to be on the shop floor or even on the same site.

The brand/production manager can see all jobs that are currently printing from his office, new jobs can be created, targets created and jobs assigned to right site, press, or operator. When the operator signs into pressSIGN he only sees his own jobs. From the production office the manager can update tonal curves without the need to visit the factory floor or even the site or disturb the operator. All production reports and analysis can take place using the pressSIGN-Trends client.

Keep in touch with the performance of the operators and presses from anywhere connected to the Internet through the web browser pressSIGN-Mobile client. Communicate directly with operators, managers, clients, brand owners via pressSIGN's chat messaging service.